“I deserve to be in that lane, and why are you trying to be in my lane”

I experienced this exact issue today on my way to work. Why, as a human race, we feel that we are entitled to everything. This is sooo prevalent in our younger generation. The entitlement factor is strong. It is every where and it is affecting how we treat each other. People act that other people are just “servants” to them, talk poorly and show no respect to another human being.

Today’s youth show entitlement more than I have ever seen before. I have a son who plays hockey, and the end of every hockey game, I watch as 14 year olds, just drop their hockey bag and sticks in front of their parents, and expect them to carry it to the car. The saddest part of this, is that the parent’s actually pick up the stuff and carry it to the car. Where does it say the parents must carry the equipment for the child, when it is not the parent’s stuff.

What give us, today, the thought we deserve everything should be given to us and it is not our fault. Where did this thought come from: the booming nineties, the “me” generation, or is it we are too influenced by the non-reality shows and advertisements.

My wife worked “back stage” during my daughter’s dance recital. He job was to insure that the dancer’s were safe and to lessen the confusion in the back by keeping parents and other guests from going to the back. While performing her duties, a mother and her dancer arrived to the recital an hour into the performance. My wife asked if she misunderstood the time and how she could help. The mother replied,” we had another more important engagement than this to attend”. Does that mother know she affected the whole dance class because of this? Why can they ignore the rules and do whatever they want? This has always intrigued me. So what can we do.

First, realize that we are all human beings and that we have to give respect to earn it. On the other side of the conversation is a person with emotions, feelings and thoughts. Secondly, realize we must work at everything we get and nothing is given to us. Our hard work, our efforts will provide us what we need, and if we want something we must earn it.

We are entitled to certain things. One is we are entitled to be talked nicely to, to have situations figured out fairly, and to give back to our community and the world. We are not entitled to have someone else’s opinion thrust down our throat nor are we entitled to have people treat us poorly. Why is it that our problems are always caused by someone else? We must stop that thinking. I think it is time we looked in the mirror and entitle ourselves to act properly.

Do yourself a favor and treat someone nice, and work to get something you want.